Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Cave Escape
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— Cheers to you who received this fateful encounter!
Having reviewed his memories up to this point, Si-woo shouted in bewilderment.
"Wh-what the hell! Shit? What... 'cheers'?"
He couldn't believe it, but he forced his eyes shut and gathered the memories anyway.
First, he realized that ten years had passed since he had died as a child in that back alley.
Si-woo frowned slightly. Death didn't come entirely without risks.
'Ten years have passed...'
After that, nothing much had happened.
The preserved pills the body had prepared had long since rotted into dust, and there was no food whatsoever.
The book just spouted nonsense about how mastering this technique would allow him to escape, urging him to train diligently.
In despair, Mun Ji-hong had starved to death in the cave.
And right before starving to death...
Choi Si-woo had possessed him.
*
Grrrrrrowl—
His stomach was practically glued to his back.
'Fuck... how long has it been since I ate? I'm starving to death here.'
He muttered weakly.
"Food... fooood... where...?"
[Inventory]
He rummaged through his [Inventory] and pulled out the porridge.
He chewed the porridge slowly, bite by bite. He desperately wanted to shove his face in and gulp it down, but that might kill him.
Fortunately, his rationality held, allowing him to eat it slowly.
"Haa— fuck... this is insanely good..."
It was just some porridge bought near home, but it was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted in his life.
Every bite was heavenly.
Even though he ate it slowly, the bowl was soon empty.
His whole body screamed for more, but he held back.
Then he took a sip from the Lowest Potion he'd bought for 5 Karma.
"Mm..."
He could feel the potion's energy seeping into his body. It was like sprinkling life-giving water on a desert wanderer on the brink of death from starvation.
"Haa..."
After downing the entire bottle, Si-woo—who had been skin and bones—started to look a bit human. He was still skeletal, but some muscle had formed.
Si-woo carefully stretched, loosening his stiff body, then gingerly picked up the discarded book.
The last line from Mun Ji-hong's memories nagged at him.
It looked so old that it might crumble if handled roughly, so he read it with care.
——
Disciple. You are truly fortunate.
I am Hao Sect Leader Mok I-do. I bestow upon you this fateful encounter.
...
Generation after generation, Hao Sect Leaders have practiced the Sun-Moon Divine Art, but I was dissatisfied with it.
They say the founding Sect Leader freely wielded ten thousand types of energy—so why the Sun-Moon Divine Art? It only handles yin and yang energy.
Freely wielding ten thousand energies? Countless people scoffed, calling it nonsense. Even handling two types requires exceptional talent. Let alone three or more—the moment you try, your dantian explodes, killing you.
This was the common sense of the murim at the time. How boring and petty.
And they claimed the founding Sect Leader's realm was exaggerated. What's tragic is that even the Hao Sect disciples agreed.
But I believe the founding Sect Leader lamented his disciples' lack of talent and left only the Sun-Moon Divine Art.
After mastering and researching countless martial arts, I attained enlightenment. I dare say I approached the founding Sect Leader's level.
A technique for wielding the ever-changing Mixed Origin Energy.
I sealed that enlightenment into this Mixed Origin Qi Art.
Mastering the Mixed Origin Qi Art will allow you to freely wield ten thousand energies.
...
Mastering this Mixed Origin Qi Art will make you the best under heaven.
...
I've prepared ample Fasting Pills. Eat them while training. If you train diligently without slacking, you should at least master enough to escape this cave.
Finally...
To the disciple who pierces my Illusory Finger Seal inscribed in these words and reads this.
I bless your talent.
I, Hao Sect Leader Mok I-do, guarantee that you possess the talent for the Mixed Origin Qi Art.
Having roughly finished reading, Si-woo let out a groan.
The text had changed from what Mun Ji-hong had read.
"Heh... I thought he was just a braggart old man..."
Up to the middle, he hadn't believed it. What supreme expert leaves such a shoddy fateful encounter in a cave and calls it 'best under heaven'?
With the Fasting Pills long turned to dust, his trust plummeted.
But that final line gave him a rush.
The Fasting Pills and clothes had crumbled to powder, yet the internal energy sealed in mere words endured.
It was an astonishing technique.
Si-woo steadied his posture and closely reread the book.
It was a shame some characters had faded, but he grasped the overall context without issue. Still, regrets were regrets.
"Mm... what to do?"
Si-woo pondered, then entered the shop. On a hunch.
'Sun-Moon Divine Art, Mixed Origin Qi Art?'
A parchment unfurled at his thought, displaying something.
[Sun-Moon Divine Art]: 3,500 Karma
- A technique for wielding yin and yang energies.
[Mixed Origin Qi Art]: 4,468 (-532) Karma
- You've partially learned the prototype technique. Discount applied.
- A qi art for wielding ever-changing Mixed Origin Energy. At mastery, wield ten thousand types of energy.
[Mixed Origin Single Qi Art]: 9,632 (-368) Karma
- You've partially learned the subordinate prototype technique. Discount applied.
- Improves the Mixed Origin Qi Art's weakness of lower power.
Si-woo let out a small gasp of admiration. It was more expensive than the 3,500-Karma Sun-Moon Divine Art—a 5,000-Karma technique.
Hao Sect Leader Mok I-do's enlightenment wasn't wrong.
And there was even this.
Confirming the prices in the shop solidified his conviction.
It was worth learning.
Si-woo exited the shop and began practicing the Mixed Origin Qi Art left by Hao Sect Leader Mok I-do.
—
The beginning of the Mixed Origin Qi Art is sensing various energies. Cold, hot, light, heavy. Sense the myriad energies of the world.
Having awakened and sensed mana, feeling energies was no challenge.
Besides, [Hunter Earth] hadn't researched mana long, so it shared similarities with the Mixed Origin Qi Art.
Indiscriminately accumulating any energy.
The most primitive mana accumulation method resembled the Mixed Origin Qi Art.
Advanced techniques refined a single energy to the extreme, yet here he was returning to basics. Ironic.
"I've definitely made entry-level progress."
Si-woo was certain. He'd trained like mad for nearly a month. Eating, sleeping, and in every spare moment, practicing the Mixed Origin Qi Art.
He occasionally doubted, 'Is this right...?', but learning a new technique was fun in its own way.
Before he knew it, Mixed Origin Energy had taken root in his dantian.
At a glance, it seemed turbid, but no. It was energy infused with an supreme expert's enlightenment, undiminished after centuries.
"Time to get out."
Sitting on the floor, he focused.
'Lightness, lightness, lightness...'
Si-woo murmured softly, imagining: birds soaring in the sky, a fan fluttering, feathers swaying, cherry blossoms drifting.
He tried his utmost to conjure images of 'lightness'.
The Mixed Origin Energy's nature began to shift. The turbid energy started taking on the 'lightness' attribute.
After about ten minutes of focus, his entire body's Mixed Origin Energy embodied lightness.
A slight exertion made his body bounce like reduced gravity.
For now, he had to sit still and concentrate to change attributes, but higher realms of the Mixed Origin Qi Art allowed instantaneous shifts to various attributes.
'Pretty good.'
He eyed the hole in the cave ceiling. The exit was there.
An L-shaped passage led out.
Hao Sect Leader had hoped for rapid switching between lightness and suction attributes to escape, but Si-woo didn't care.
[Mixed Origin Qi Art]: 1,218 (-3,782) Karma
The more he practiced the Mixed Origin Qi Art, the cheaper it became in the shop.
He'd maximize discounts through training, but once he had enough Karma, he'd buy it outright.
For that, he needed interactions with people.
His hypothesis—that intervening in others' fates yielded more Karma—was most plausible.
So, upon entry-level progress in the Mixed Origin Qi Art, he stopped training.
Si-woo equipped crampons from his [Inventory] and pulled out climbing gear.
Then he leaped toward the hole in the ceiling.
Kwachak—!
The pickaxe mercilessly dug into the smooth stone wall.
Enveloping his body in lightness-attributed Mixed Origin Energy made him feather-light.
Si-woo slowly climbed the cave.
Soon, he exited the L-shaped passage into the open air.
'Damn... these pickaxes are top-notch... way too easy.'
Si-woo rolled his shoulders and stretched.
A massive canyon loomed before him. Seeing it in memories versus with his own eyes felt entirely different.
Whiiiiiish—!
A razor-sharp wind howled through the valley.
"Uh... um..."
Peering down the cliff, the dizzying height made his head spin.
Gulp.
Si-woo swallowed and looked up.
A sheer cliff stretched endlessly before him.